Finding A Hero
by SilverBlood5
Summary: Marinette believed that she was incapable of protecting Paris. So she gave up being Ladybug to someone she thought could do a better job. But Marinette doesn't know that the new Ladybug is struggling. The heroes of Paris need help, and Marinette is discovering a new side to her she convinced herself she didn't have.
1. Chapter 1

When Mrs Chamack said that Manon could be difficult to take care of at times, Marinette dismissed the idea. After all, how much trouble could one five year old girl be? A lot of trouble, it turned out. She'd learned that over the few months she'd been Manon's babysitter.

When she'd taken the young girl up to her room things were simple enough. Until she caught sight of the new hat Marinette was working on. She'd started running around the house with the hat on and Marinette was struggling to catch her. Manon could be fast and evasive when she wanted to be.

After hitting her head on the underside of the table in her efforts to catch the elusive girl, Marinette lost sight of Manon. After a few frantic glances about the living room, Marinette spotted a little-girl-sized bulge behind the curtain. Thinking she'd finally found her target, Marinette tiptoed over so as not to alert Manon of her presence. Pulling the curtain back with a triumphant cry, the teen was shocked to find a doll wearing her hat. She'd been outwitted by a five year old.

"I'm gonna vote for Mireille. She's the best!"

"Hey, my phone!" Marinette came over with the hat and took her phone off the girl.

While she was thinking of places to hide her load, Manon took the hat straight out of her hand and ran away with a giggle. The surprised girl could only groan in frustration, "Why did I agree to do this again?"

She began to look for Manon when the doorbell rang. "Alya!" She exclaimed when she opened the door. She wasn't expecting a visit. Did they have something planned that she forgot about? Before she could ask, Alya suddenly reached towards her with excitement, startling Marinette for a moment.

"Hey, I gotta _huge_ scoop for you! Guess who's on a photoshoot in the park!?" Alya shoved her phone in Marinette's face to show her a picture. But the first thing she saw wasn't the picture, it was the ladybug charm hanging off the phone that wasn't there before.

 _'Must be new.'_ She thought. She felt a pang in her heart at the sight of it. A mixture of satisfaction and sadness. Before she could think further on it, Marinette focused on the picture and Alya's words really registered in her head. On the phone was Adrien Agreste leaning against a tree, a photographer taking his picture, and a large man holding a round mirror. All thoughts of before vanished in her own excitement. "Now? Adrien is in the park right now?" She looked past the phone at her friend for confirmation.

Alya put the phone down and hummed an affirmative, "As we speak."

Thoughts began running wild through her head, "Oh Gosh. Wha... What would I say to him?" _'If I could actually talk to him.'_ She thought with remorse.

"The same thing as usual," Alya leaped up in another one of her wild demonstrations where she used her whole body to get the point across. The girl always had energy and she was always moving in one way or another. "I-ulgh-uhh-dai-gwao-uuhhh."

"Stop it." Marinette poked her in the arm and she cheekily froze in a position with an arm over her head and her tongue sticking out. Marinette stepped back with her hands on her hips to tell her she did not look like that at all. The feeling of someone holding her legs and a questioning sound brought her attention elsewhere.

Manon was standing between her legs and looking up at Alya, "Who's she?"

Marinette could've face-palmed. She forgot she was watching Manon. "Woops, I forgot about this little detail." With anyone else she would've been almost ashamed for forgetting she was babysitting, but she wasn't afraid to admit mistakes with Alya. Except for one big mistake.

Alya spoke before she could think more on that thought, "And who's she?" she waved.

"This is Manon. One of my mom's friend's daughters. I'm watching her all afternoon." Marinette gasped as a new thought came to mind. "Which means I can't go out." She pouted.

"Lemme guess. Another, 'you couldn't say no' favour." Alya knew better than anyone that Marinette had trouble saying 'no'. The girl just always wanted to help.

"No, I just couldn't..." She tried to defend herself. "...say 'no'." She drooped in defeat.

Alya rolled her eyes, "Look. No problem. _I'll_ look after your little detail for you."

Manon, bored of the conversation, ran away giggling and trying to find something fun to do. Marinette watched her for a moment, hoping against hope she wouldn't cause any trouble. She turned back to Alya, "Thanks. But I'm responsible for her." And she didn't want to do the wrong thing again. "Besides, I couldn't do that to you, she's..." What was a good way to describe Manon? "...an absolute angel." No sooner than she'd finished speaking, there was a clatter of pots in the kitchen. She took off to take care of the problem. Manon had captured a pot and a turning spatula and was running around with them. "Manon! Put that down-ulgh" She was able to take the pot off her when she climbed over the lounge but the turning spatula was still in her hand and she was rushing out of sight again. She put the pot down and followed but couldn't find her yet again. Marinette heard a sound behind her and turned in time to see Manon take off with the pot she'd just taken off her. She took off after the speedy girl and caught her after some more ruckus.

With a firm grip on her hand, Marinette dragged Manon back over to Alya who'd walked in and taken a spot on the back of the couch, "You're just a pushover, Marinette. I have to babysit my sisters _all_ the time." Manon sat down on the ground in her efforts to get away, Marinette was tugged down and had to look up at Alya. "Which makes me an expert in dealing with angels." She smirked down at Manon who was now standing.

"Who are you anyway?" She defiantly spoke to the girl. Alya could see a pride in the little girl. Her smirk tried to widen as she knelt down to her height. "I'm a mythical unicorn from the world of Rispa, disguised as a totally fabulous human girl. I grant magical wishes, but only to little monkeys who behave." She tapped the girl on the nose. Her defiant expression now replaced with one of humour as she laughed. "No you're not." She blinked, "Are you?"

Alya replied in picking the girl up and carried her around like she was flying. She did it to her sisters all the time and they loved it. Manon was no different. She was still laughing when Alya placed her on Marinette's shoulders. She fixed a surprised Marinette's hands on Manon's little legs to stabilise her. "Okay, let's all go to the park." She lifted Marinette's chin with a smug and satisfied look. _'There you go.'_ Her eyes seemed to say

Marinette blinked after her. She knew Alya had experience in babysitting her sisters, but had no idea she could reel Manon in so easily. Marinette laughed, "Okay!" She giggled and followed her best friend out.

LINE BREAK

The three of them were hiding behind a tree and watching the photoshoot take place. "Come on. We're gonna stroll over there _real_ cool as if we just happen to be passing by."

"Then what?" Alya liked having a plan and knew Mari was gonna need one in this situation.

"Then... I'll try inviting him out for a fruit smoothie at the end of the photoshoot." Marinette's nervousness fuelled her excitement and soon she was rambling. "And then we'll get married, live happily ever after, have a beautiful house, have two or three kids. A dog! Maybe a cat. Forget the dog, we'll have a cat. And hamsters. I love hamsters." Stuck in her daydream, Marinette hadn't realised she'd abandoned her cover and that the two she was with were looking at her with varying degrees of what's-happening and oh-dear-god.

Alya shook her head and pulled her out of it. "Let's just start with 'just happen to be passing by' and see if we can get to that smoothie." Marinette pulled her pigtail sheepishly and giggled.

The trio walked behind the fountain Adrien was sitting at. "Remember... Cool. Be cool." Marinette said. Alya rolled her eyes again. Marinette was the only one who wasn't acting cool with her large steps and overly cheerful expression. Alya looked over at Adrien who was completely focused on the photographer.

"Uhh... We couldn't be more invisible." When Marinette saw that Adrien had no clue they were there, she hesitated. She didn't know if she should keep on trying. Alya saw her hesitation.

"Okay, let's start over." She pushed Marinette and Manon back to where they'd started. Before they could get there, Adrien turned towards them. He must've heard. Marinette froze when he looked towards her which caused Alya and Manon to freeze as well. Alya pulled back from her pushing position and Marinette giggled, embarrassed. Adrien gave them a sweet smile and waved at them, which caused his photographer to stand up and glare angrily. Adrien grimaced and turned back around. The photographer smiled as if nothing was wrong and continued taking pictures.

Marinette gasped and nudged Alya, "Did you see that!? He waved!" She gave that over-excited grin again and continued waving even though he wasn't looking at them anymore.

Alya rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I saw it too. Pretty normal since we're in the same class." Alya wasn't going to be satisfied until Marinette asked for that smoothie. But it seemed her best friend was more than happy with a simple wave. Alya looked over to see that she was still waving so she slapped the hand down. Marinette barely noticed. Alya huffed. She pretended to be annoyed but she really loved her best friend's quirks.

LINE BREAK

Since Adrien knew they were in the park, they felt it was okay to watch out in the open. Alya had already lifted Marinette's gaping jaw twice when she gave up and just let it hang.

"Marinette! I wanna balloon with Mireille on it. Can I, can I?" Manon tugged on Marinette's hand but her babysitter didn't respond, too enthralled by the photoshoot going on, "Marinette?" Manon spoke in a quiet voice and let go of Marinette's hand when she didn't respond. "Marinette!" Manon's shout snapped the girl out of it. Alya watched in amusement as Marinette tumbled and shouted in fright.

The photographer turned around with a growl, "Silencio."

The large, burly guy stalked over to them and Alya acted, "Come on, small fry. I'll get you that balloon." She didn't want them to send Marinette away when she was clearly enjoying herself.

Then Manon jumped up on Marinette's leg and refused to budge. "No! I wanna go with Marinette."

Marinette was surprised that Manon wanted to go with her, and as always, she couldn't say no. Especially not when two male adults were glaring at her like that. "I'll deal with it. I am her babysitter." She started walking off with Manon still attached to her leg.

"But what about Adrien?" Alya asked. She watched Marinette go and wondered why she couldn't say no. Why she was always trying to do the right thing. They'd barely known each other a week but Alya had been able to pick up a lot about her first best friend in that time. She'd never made a decision for herself in that week and it made Alya wonder when was the last time she made a selfish decision. Alya got the feeling that she was trying to prove something. But she didn't know what, or to who.

"Come on. Let's go back." Marinette said as she paid for the balloon. But Manon had other ideas.

"I wanna go on the merry-go-round!"

Marinette chased after the girl. _'At this rate I'm gonna be a pretty good runner.'_ She thought. "No, no, no, no. Not right now. I... I gotta get back to Adri-oh." Marinette was incapable of turning away from Manon when she looked at her with those big golden eyes.

"You promised. You aren't going to break your promise are you?"

Marinette sighed. She sounded so sad. "Please, please, not the Baby Doll eyes. You know I can't say no to the-"

Manon's eyes got even bigger and her bottom lip poked out. One 'aww' from Marinette was all it took for Manon to shout in triumph and drag her babysitter off.

LINE BREAK

Alya saw Manon drag Marinette off to the merry-go-round and sighed. While it was a good thing that she was being a good babysitter, Alya wished her friend could say no sometimes. Her eagerness in making everyone happy might just get her into trouble one day. _'If she could say no to Manon, she might just be able to say no to others. And maybe_ then _she'll be able to do something that makes_ her _happy.'_

"You!" Alya was startled out of her musings when the photographer stepped right in front of her and practically shouted. "I need an extra!"

"Who... Me?" She pointed to herself.

"Si. To pose with Mr. Adrien."

Alya gasped in delight. This was exactly what Marinette needed! The photographer seemed satisfied when she stood up, obviously thinking she was happy to be the extra. _'Sorry buddy, but I've got a mission.'_ She thought. "You don't want me, I uh..." _'need an excuse'_. She looked at the apple in her hand. "I think I'm having an allergic reaction to this apple." She threw it behind her and stuck her tongue out for emphasis on the 'allergic reaction'. "I know thust the perthon you need. Hold that thought." She ran straight to the merry-go-round where Marinette was helping Manon onto a white and pink unicorn.

She was out of breath by the time she reached them. "They need an extra to pose with Adrien!"

"What? Seriously!?" Marinette put her hands to her face in glee.

"Is that boy your boyfriend?" Manon asked.

 _'Not yet, little monkey.'_ Alya smirked.

"What! No. I, I mean yes?" Thoughts of calling him her boyfriend made her nervous. "No."

"Go on! What are you waiting for!?" Alya was incredibly excited for her friend.

But Marinette wasn't sure. "But... What about Manon?" She placed a hand on the little girl's back.

Alya's temper flared. She wasn't going to let this girl give up the chance to do something that would make her happy so that someone else could be happy. Not again! Alya stepped up onto the platform with Marinette, "You take care of Prince Charming and I'll take care of Miss Unicorn here." She nodded to Manon. "You don't know how to control her anyway.

Both girls saw how Manon's face turned sad for a moment before her defiance came back. "No way! Marinette's my babysitter."

Alya was about to add something to sway Manon when Marinette climbed on. "She's right. I'm her babysitter. I should be responsible for her."

Alya couldn't believe Marinette was going to let this chance go. "But it's a photoshoot with Adrien Agreste!"

"I know that. But I promised Manon a merry-go-round ride and I'm her babysitter."

Alya grabbed Marinette by the arm and dragged her away from the ride, "Marinette!" Manon called out.

"Hang on, I'll be back." She called out, still tugging on Alya's firm grip.

"I cannot believe you're going to let this opportunity slip away." Alya lectured. "Why do you always do what everyone else wants, but never what you want?"

"Well I don't want to be selfish. I'm not important enough to forget about everyone else. That sounds like something Chloe would do." Marinette argued.

"And I'm grateful you're nothing like her but Marinette, it's okay to do something for yourself every now and then." From the look on Marinette's face, she didn't agree. "I'm happy that you're so kind but I know that _you_ can be happier if you did something for yourself, I mean... What are you trying to prove?" Marinette's face paled at her words and her eyes turned sad. Alya was shocked at the depth of emotion in them. _'So you are trying to prove something.'_

Before she could ask again or read the deeper emotions in her eyes, there was a scream and frightened voices. They followed everyone's stares and points to the sky where a girl in a purple outfit and pointy white and purple pigtails floated. She pointed her purple umbrella to the ground and icy cold air surrounded the merry-go-round

"Manon!" Marinette shouted. She tried to run to the little girl but a hand on her arm stopped her.

She turned to glare at Alya who blinked at hard look in her eyes. She shook her head, "Marinette, that wind will blow you away. Manon will be fine."

They both looked as the wind settled and revealed an icy dome covering the merry-go-round. The akuma left to continue causing mayhem and the girls ran straight to the dome. Manon was alone inside and was banging against the ice. Marinette nearly lost it at the sight of her tears.

"Marinette! Get me out of here!" She cried. Marinette put her hand against the ice and waited until Manon returned the gesture.

"Don't worry, Manon. Everything's gonna be okay. " Marinette looked at Alya who was looking around frantically. She knew what she was looking for, so she gave her an answer.

"Alya. Why don't you go see if anyone else needs help."

The girl looked at her and nodded. "I'll be right back. And if I see Ladybug I'll point her in your direction." She ran off.

"I'm sure you will." Marinette whispered.

"Marinette?" Manon was quiet as Marinette turned to face her. "I'm scared." She sniffled.

"You don't have to be afraid Manon," Marinette spoke calmly, "I'm going to stay right here and we're gonna get you out soon." Manon nodded.

Behind a tree nearby, an elderly man in a Hawaiian shirt watched.


	2. Chapter 2

**I decided to go on with this story. I'm still not entirely sure where this could go since it was 'just an idea', but I have got a few ideas. Unfortunately I can't incorporate them all into this story so I decided to make a second story like this but that won't be published until at least the second season comes out. Enjoy this new chapter. :)**

* * *

The park was mostly deserted after the akuma cleared through it, so finding a hiding place wasn't so hard. Alya stayed behind the tree as she glanced around one more time to make sure no one was watching her. Satisfied, the girl opened the bag she had recently started wearing everywhere, "Okay, Tikki. We're clear."

The red and black spotted kwami flew out of the bag and floated in front of Alya's face. "Marinette sounded really worried about Manon." Tikki glanced back over to the merry-go-round.

"She's scared. They both are." Alya noticed Tikki's frown and shrunk back a little. Alya swore to try her best as Ladybug but she knew Tikki still missed the first one. Sometimes it made things difficult between them and while Alya was keen on trying to better her relationship with the little god, she knew now wasn't the time. "Let's go get her outta there." Alya ignored Tikki's forlorn nod and spoke the words given to her barely a week ago when she was trapped behind that car. "Spots on!"

Once the flash of pink died down, the newly formed Ladybug ran straight over to Marinette and Manon. "Need some help?" She grinned at them both as they turned to her.

Marinette stood up and faced her with urgency, "Ladybug! Can you get her out!?"

Ladybug took the yoyo from her waist. "Let's find out. Stand back Manon."

The little girl blinked, "How did you know my name?"

Ladybug stopped swinging the yoyo in shock at her slip up. _'Come on, girl. Secret identity. Get with it.'_ The heroine hadn't noticed that when she ceased her movements, gravity took over the yoyo and sent it straight to her head. "Ow! Uh... Alya told me, when she sent me over here." She rubbed the sore spot and fought back the blush. Clearing her throat, she started swinging again and motioned for the girls to stand back. With a powerful throw, she hit the ice with all she had.

Only for it to bounce off harmlessly and come soaring back at her. Not looking forward to getting her noggin hit with a yoyo again, Ladybug quickly dodged and recoiled the projectile.

"Okay, that didn't work." She muttered. She wanted to get Manon out of the ice but she knew she had to go after the akuma. She would only waste time here and cleansing the akuma was the only sure-fire way to get her out of there. "Ah! I can't bust through this and I have to go after the akuma. You call the fire brigade, they should be able to break through this thing or something." It wasn't the best idea, but she needed to give them something.

Marinette nodded and pulled out her phone. Just before Ladybug zipped away in search of the akuma, there was a burst of cold air from just outside the park gates, followed by a screaming black figure sailing through the sky. The girls all watched him go. With a sigh, Ladybug took off after him, not noticing Marinette's sad smile.

Seeing Chat Noir fly through the air like that reminded her of how they first met.

"Marinette?" Marinette turned to Manon who was looking at her questioningly.

The teen remembered the phone in her hand and quickly dialled. "Don't you worry, little Angel. You'll be out soon."

* * *

Chat Noir was incredibly grateful for his suit at that moment. He knew that without it, that fall would've snapped bones.

"And here I thought cats always landed on their feet." The teasing voice of a Ladybug entered his ears. But it wasn't the voice he wanted to hear. Looking over he saw what confirmed his fears. It was the first time he'd seen this Ladybug since the Stoneheart incident and he'd held a hope, however small, that she was just a one time thing. That the first Ladybug would be returning. But looking up at her now, he felt that hope crushed like his bones would have been without his super-suit.

He stood slowly, "Well, we can't have everything now can we?" His voice was just as teasing as hers, but Ladybug could hear the sadness behind it. To be honest, she was a little shocked that Chat Noir would miss the first Ladybug like Tikki did. Tikki knew the girl. Spent real time with her. Chat Noir on the other hand, barely knew her for half an hour. It made Ladybug a little uncomfortable. She hoped they could work past this. They would work better together if they got along.

Chat looked over at this new Ladybug. She had darker skin, longer brown hair tipped with red like her suit and golden eyes. Her suit was also different from the first's. She had black gloves going up to just below her shoulders, the V-neck of her suit revealed more black underneath. Her legs were black and her boots were ladybug spotted like the main part of her suit. There was a black band around her waist and just below it, the fabric split to go down and behind her. Forming a sort of half-skirt. Her mask was like the firsts but it didn't have the spot in the middle, only having four.

Before either could say anything more, another voice spoke, "We should be expecting lightning storms like right now!" Stormy Weather pointed her umbrella to the sky and a loud 'crack' nearly drowned the sound of her evil chuckles. The sky darkened to black so quickly it was like the blue was swallowed by the thick clouds. A long line of purple lightning reached down, aiming straight for Chat. Ladybug just barely pushed him out of the way. When the two rolled to a stop, Chat was on top. He blinked the shock off and got up as quickly as he could.

"You've just won yourself a cat fight." he called.

"Chat, wait!" Ladybug called when he started running. She'd read enough comics to know that rushing headfirst into danger was never a good idea. Whether he heard her or not, there wasn't enough to time to stop when Stormy froze the road, causing the cat to slip to a stop. The gush of wind that came next was strong enough to lift the cars as well as both heroes of the road.

Ladybug flung out her yoyo in desperation. It was pure luck that it caught on something. A streak of black flew past her and she marvelled at the reflexes she had in the suit, having caught him so quickly. The wind stopped suddenly enough for them to crash into the ground. Ladybug was glad no one was around to see that.

The sounds of destruction got further away but Stormy was still in their sights.

"A little Chat Noir will take the wind out of her sails." Chat cracked his neck and started after the villain again.

Ladybug caught his tail again, _'Really? Did he not learn his lesson?'_ "Okay. Why don't we make it a new rule to _not_ go running into danger without a plan." Ladybug wondered if his tail really was in pain when he rubbed it like that. He was the only one of them with actual animal features after all. She just got the spots. It would have been cool to get wings. _'Why didn't I get wings?'_

"Well then do you have a plan?" Chat pulled her from her musings.

Ladybug looked towards the akuma, "Let's try the higher approach."

Their attempt only got them flung across several streets and buildings. Adrenalin fuelled the both of them as they dodged the numerous cars that fell from the sky. They both froze when they saw the bus coming their way. Looking at her yoyo, Ladybug decided to test something Tikki had told her about her weapon. She swung the yoyo as fast as she could and pulled Chat under with her. The now razor sharp yoyo cut through bus easily. She winced when the yoyo hit Chat's head. "Sorry." She knew how that felt.

His mock glare let her know she was forgiven, "Come on." He said, "Let's go find Stormy."

"Uh... How do we get out."

Chat answered her by sliding open the window above them and extending his stick. "Ladies first." He said with a bow.

 _'Gentlemanly.'_ Ladybug noted. She was a journalist at heart, and she wanted to understand her new superhero partner as much as she could.

 _"Hello viewers."_ The broken screen flickered to life with Stormy Weather's message. _"Here's the latest forecast for the first day of summer. Looks like Mother Nature had a change in plans. Summer vacation is officially over!"_

"And now we know where to find her." The two shot off.

Stormy's message was still going on when they arrived at the Kidz+ building. They only stopped when Chat noticed the cut-out of Aurore.

"The akuma's gotta be in her parasol." Ladybug deduced when looking at the similarities.

They found the room where Stormy was recording in, but were shocked to find it empty. "It's a recording!" Ladybug cursed herself. _'How did I not see that coming?'_

A giggle from behind was all the warning they got before the lighting rig fell and the lights went out.

"Frosty the Snowgirl's getting away!" Ladybug tried to find her way to a light source but tripped on the broken rig. "Do I hear a damsel in distress?" Chat teased.

"Hey! I can't see alright!" She was glad for his teasing. Things weren't hopeless between them.

"Well cats can see in the dark, so allow me." Without waiting for permission he dragged her from the room. She shrieked in surprise. "No need to bug out. Just trust me." She decided she was going to have to.

* * *

Marinette was using every bit of willpower she had to remain calm. It wasn't easy. But she did it.

She'd told Manon to stay under the merry-go-round's cover when the icicles started cracking and lowering. The little girl was reluctant to leave the edge of the ice and Marinette didn't want her to be alone but she knew she was safer under there.

But when the icicles started breaking through the top of the ride, Marinette's heart went into overdrive.

"Can't you go any faster!?" She frantically asked the firemen who were trying to break a hole in the ice with axes.

"We're going as fast as we can. Don't worry miss, she'll be out in no time." The one closest to her tried to console her. It didn't work. She wouldn't be okay until Manon was safe and back in her arms.

She knelt down and pressed close to the ice to see Manon. She was huddled up in the little ladybug cart, watching her with scared eyes. "I never should've left her alone." She said to herself. But the man who'd spoken to her heard her. "I should be in there with her." She pressed her hand and forehead against the ice. The man's heart twinged at the crack in her voice. This girl clearly felt responsible for the little girl's predicament. He would've comforted her, but his whole energy was put into getting the child out of danger.

People were starting to slowly return to the park. One elderly man was standing closer than the others. He was close enough to have heard the teen's words.

 _'She's still selfless.'_ Master Fu thought. _'Too selfless.'_

* * *

Ladybug welcomed the return of her vision once they were on the roof. Trusting Chat to lead her through the darkness was harder than she thought. She was happy to note that even though he was unhappy working with her, he was able to put that aside and protect her when she needed it. So while he kept the hail from hitting the both of them, Ladybug tried to return the favour by figuring out how to use her Lucky Charm and end this thing. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out how a bath towel would be useful in a situation like this.

She looked around for clues as her Lucky Vision kicked in. A large pipe, an air vent, a beam, the towel, and the large sign behind Stormy. Why couldn't these powers just tell her what to do!?

She figured that the best course of action would be for Chat to send the sign crashing down on her and scrabbled for a moment until she realised that if he did that, it would break the air vent off.

"Chat Noir. Introduce her to that sign."

While he did that, Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around the distracted akuma's foot. When Stormy went through the hole she'd created, the dots started to connect. _'Did I just pun!?'_ She decided Chat Noir was a bad influence and ducked under the pipe, then over the exposed air vent. The towel worked like a charm, _'Again!? Seriously!?'_.

The whole thing was over in 10 seconds flat.

Alya felt a thrill in her being as the ladybugs went and fixed everything. She saved the day! Like a real hero! She'd done it before but it was still hard to believe. Ladybug was ready to go back to the park to check on Marinette and Manon. But she turned to Chat first, "Well done, partner."

Chat looked at her, "You too, partner."

Ladybug saw the hesitation and knew they needed to talk, but as soon as she opened her mouth, his Miraculous beeped out. "Chat, wait!" She said before he could leave."

"I have somewhere I need to get back to." He hesitated.

"Me too but I was just thinking... I started patrolling Paris at night a couple nights ago. In case Hawkmoth decides to strike then or anyone else needs help. You should join me." She looked at him hopefully. Her earrings broke the silence. They both really needed to go. "If you do decide to come along, I'll be at the Eifel Tower at nine." She didn't wait for a response and swung straight to the park.

* * *

When the ladybugs surrounded the ice, Marinette nearly cried with relief. The ice seemed to melt incredibly slow and she launched herself straight through the first hole she could remotely fit in. Stumbling but refusing to stop and gain her balance, Marinette practically collapsed when she reached Manon.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked.

Manon was getting a little teary eyed again but she felt much better in her babysitter's arms. "Yeah. I'm fine." She pulled back after a moment, "Can I have a lollipop?"

Marinette chuckled, "Sure. Let's go find Alya and get you one, okay?"

The five year old cheered. Marinette thanked the firemen on her way out and looked for Alya. Despite the pain she felt in her chest at the decision she made, she was immensely proud of her best friend. She knew she'd make a good Ladybug.

Wandering over to the fountain she saw the two men from earlier looking for Adrien. She hoped he was okay after the akuma attacked.

"Marinette! Manon!" The girls turned to find the third member of their party running towards them, a little out of breath. Marinette knew how exhausted she was. After her first and only transformation as Ladybug, Marinette felt incredibly sore and tired. Tikki said that while she was in the suit, the pain and exertion from battle would be minimised but once the transformation was dropped, it all came rushing back. She also said that it would get better over time but Marinette never got to test that out. She hoped it was true for her friend's sake.

"Alya!" They both cried out. Manon wriggled out of Marinette's arms and rushed to give the girl a hug.

"Where were you?" She asked.

Alya hugged her back, "I went to see if anyone else needed help. I came straight back after I noticed the ladybugs."

Manon pulled back, "You shouldn't have been gone that long. Marinette was getting worried."

Marinette rolled her eyes at the child. Manon was more worried about Alya then she was. She was just stubborn. Alya, however, didn't know that, and looked at her friend apologetically.

"I'm sorry Marinette. I didn't mean to worry you."

Marinette waved her off. "It's fine. We're all here now and we're all okay. Now let's go get that lollipop Manon." Manon cheered again, all negative thoughts forgotten. Kids could be so innocent sometimes.

"But what about the photoshoot?" Alya asked.

"Nah. I'd rather spend some time with you girls." Marinette said. Alya would have pushed further but after the little scare Marinette had with Manon, she decided to leave it.

As they made to leave, though, the photographer came up to her. "You there. I still need an extra to pose with Mr Adrien." The man caught sight of Manon before either could answer. "Wait! Who is this... Angel!?" Manon looked confused for a moment before pointing to herself with a joyous laugh.

"Told you she was an angel." Marinette said to Alya, whose only response was to roll her eyes.

Marinette told the photographer he could borrow Manon as long as she could have a few copies of the photos. He agreed enthusiastically, and Manon had the time of her life. Marinette decided to make a collage of the photos she got when the day was over. One for her, and one for Manon.

* * *

At ten past nine that night, Chat Noir landed on the top of the Eifel Tower. Higher than was available to tourists. Ladybug was waiting for him.

"You're late." She said, although there wasn't any malice to it.

"Sorry. I had a few things to take care of." His tone was apologetic. Ladybug could tell he was being honest and deduced a dislike for being late.

"No problem. Double lives can be hard." He took a seat next to her but she noted how he kept his distance.

They were silent for a moment. Neither wanting to break the fragile peace. They could get along well enough in battle but without the distraction, the air between them was thick.

But Ladybug wasn't the type of person to dance around the problem and couldn't stand the silence for very long. "Look," She felt Chat's eyes on her, "I know you want the first Ladybug back but the two of us are going to have to learn to get along." She dared a peek at him. He was stiff and refused to meet her eyes. "She gave me these earrings for a reason and while I don't know why she wanted me to have them, I intend to do her proud. I'm not a replacement, Chat. And I don't want to be seen as one. But I would like if we could just learn to get along. For Paris's sake at least."

He didn't move or say anything for a while. His silence was starting to make Ladybug fidgety. "I don't have a problem with you if that's what you think." He looked her in the eyes for the first time that night. "I actually think you're pretty cool company."

Ladybug blinked. She did not expect that. "Then why are you so upset around me?"

Chat winced. "I'm sorry if I made you think you did something wrong. But the truth is _I'm_ the one I'm upset with."

His explanation just confused her further. "But... Why!?"

His ears drooped like an actual cat's would. "Because the first Ladybug... She isn't here because of me." Ladybug's eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't dare interrupt. "The first time we met she was so unsure and scared. She was afraid of screwing up. When she introduced herself to me she called herself clumsy. Always looking like she was ready to be scolded and I... I didn't do _anything_." Ladybug watched as he curled in on himself. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but was afraid of how he'd react. "I knew she was scared but I didn't do anything to help her. I was just so caught up in the excitement of being a hero, I didn't stop to see how she was coping. If I had then I would have known that she wasn't excited like I was. My kwami told me that the Black Cats have always been the Ladybugs' protectors. But I failed to protect her! I should have been there to encourage her but I wasn't! I failed her!" He realised he was getting emotional and shrunk back in on himself again. When he spoke next, his voice was quieter. "I just... I wish I could speak to her one last time. To tell her I'm sorry."

Ladybug looked out at the city. She was unsure on how to respond. _'How?'_ She thought. _'How can he be this attached to a girl he only knew for half an hour?'_ She looked over at Chat and saw how guilty he felt at a mistake he believed _he_ caused.

 _'Either they really clicked or... Or he has the world's biggest heart.'_ Ladybug felt her admiration for him soar.

"I'd like to see her again too." Chat turned to her as she spoke. "I want to know why she gave up the earrings to _me_. Why she thought _I_ would make a better Ladybug than _her_. If she regrets it. If she's proud of what I've done so far."

Chat could see the fear in her eyes. The fear that the first Ladybug would think she made a poor decision. That she wouldn't make a good Ladybug. That look was the same as what he saw in the first Ladybug. It wasn't as strong, but it was still there. And that hardened Chat's resolve. He'd failed the first Ladybug. He wouldn't fail this one.

Chat reached out and touched her hand. "You're doing a great job. Of course she'd be proud of you." Ladybug looked at his heart-warming smile and couldn't resist reciprocating it.

"Thanks." She knew why he said it. And that just made her even more determined to find this girl.

For Chat's sake at least.

* * *

 **Also if anyone wants a better idea on how Alya looks as Ladybug, I modelled her suit off Majestia. The hero Alya talks about in the Origins episode.**


End file.
